College Football Game of the Week: No. 2 Georgia Bulldogs vs. No. 4 Alabama Crimson Tide

This Saturday will see the first top-five matchup of the season when No. 4 Alabama hosts No. 2 Georgia. The two teams have combined for the last three SEC championships and three of the last four national championships.

One coach is replacing a legend. The other is a protégé of the same legend. The game will be played on the field that was just recently named after that legend who is considered by many the greatest college football coach of all time: Nick Saban.

Kalen DeBoer is in his first year as the Alabama head coach after he led Washington to the national championship game. He faced questions and criticism in the offseason about whether he would be able to win consistently in the SEC since he’s never coached in the SEC before.

This is his first SEC game. His team is facing a Georgia team led by Kirby Smart, widely considered the best current coach in the country.

This game decided last year’s SEC championship game in which Alabama knocked off the top-ranked Bulldogs 27-24 to advance to the College Football Playoff. Alabama won that game by being the better team on the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball.

The line of scrimmage will be crucial in this game. Georgia is thin on the defensive line compared to past seasons, and their offensive line struggled in their last game against Kentucky. The offensive line was one of Alabama’s biggest question marks coming into the season, and it has been hampered by injuries.

This game also features two of the top returning quarterbacks in the country: Georgia’s Carson Beck and Alabama’s Jalen Milroe.

Milroe will look to use his legs, and if he’s able to, Georgia will be in trouble. In the passing game, he’s known for having a strong arm. His weakness has been consistency in the intermediate passing game. Alabama’s offensive performance will fall on his shoulders and how consistent he is throwing the ball.

As for Beck, this is the biggest test of his career playing on the road in a hostile environment against a top-five team. He hasn’t shown an ability to be great under pressure yet. In most of the games he’s played in, Georgia has won comfortably.

Last year’s SEC championship game was one of only two games where he didn’t throw for a touchdown. Last week against Kentucky, in a game where Georgia avoided an upset by one point winning 13-12, he threw for the fewest yards and had his lowest passer rating in 17 career starts.

This week will be a gut-check game for Beck to see if he can perform on the biggest stage and lead Georgia to what would be the biggest win in Beck’s career.

Jacob Rudy is a second-year majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact him, email jar7371@psu.edu.